Evaluation of different treatments on break seed dormancy of Dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck)

A pot experiment was conducted under field conditions in Al-Qizuina district-province of Najaf during the 2017 growing season in order to pre-planting control of field dodder )Cuscuta campestris( by breaking its seed dormancy and reducing seed banks in the soil. The experiment tested 56 treatments (chemical, biological and physical) in a complete randomized design with four replicates. Results showed significant differences between treatments. Gibberelic acid at 800 ppm resulted in the highest germination rates of the dodder seeds (92%), while KNO3 had the highest speed of seed germination (7.6 days). Some other concentrations of Gibberellic acid, Salicylic acid, Ethrel and KNO3, and seed extracts of Maize, Barley and Alfalfa as well as the physical treatment of boiling water had significant effects on the dodder seeds in terms of germination rates which ranged from 19 to 51% and germination speed that ranged from 8.4 to 15.4 days compared to the control treatment which resulted in 0.75% and 20.82 days, respectively. The study confirmed that using high efficient treatments in breaking dormancy and increasing seed germination of dodder as pre-planting measurements can be practically applied in the integrate management of this pest.